After years of hearing about the Arctic Winter Games, it seems unusual to think the international sporting event is just days away from actually showing up in the South Slave.
At times, the Arctic Winter Games seemed like some faraway idea – like the flying car – and more of a daydream than something that was actually going to happen someday.
We know that sounds weird, but that's what happens when an event has a lead-up time measured in years.
Now that it is just days away, we have to adjust our thinking because something that was just a far-off idea is now almost a reality.
So what do we do now?
Well, we think it should be everybody's role to make the 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games as successful as they can possibly be.
If you thought it was a great idea for the South Slave to seek the games or if you thought that the region shouldn't take on such an endeavour, that's all irrelevant now.
The games are almost here and making them a success is all that matters.
If there is anything you can do to help make the games a success, do it.
That can be as simple as helping a visitor with directions around town. Everything helps.
So far, over 1,500 people in the South Slave have officially volunteered for the AWG. That is an incredible number considering the region's population.
But even if you are not an official volunteer, think like one and help out when you can.
We expect everyone in the South Slave will be friendly Northerners to visitors from other parts of the circumpolar world.
On the whole, the Arctic Winter Games can be a great benefit to the South Slave.
In fact, there are already clear benefits from the event.
Hay River has a new Rec Centre just in time – literally – for the games. Of course, the community would have eventually gotten a new Rec Centre, but it might have been years more down the road if not for the AWG.
And Highway 5 between Hay River and Fort Smith is now chipsealed all the way. We believe that, if not for the AWG, the former 60 km of gravel road through Wood Buffalo National Park may have remained for years more.
Now with the games ready to start, they can also benefit the South Slave by giving us the opportunity to showcase where we live and to tell our stories to the rest of the circumpolar world.
In particular, it's a unique opportunity to promote tourism in the South Slave.
But we don't want to look at the Arctic Winter Games just in terms of economic benefits.
The event is also sports, and sports are supposed to fun and entertaining.
And more than that, the Arctic Winter Games are a cultural event unlike any other in the world.
So we should welcome the Arctic Winter Games, do our best to help out and enjoy it all.
It is something truly unique that may never come our way again.